Kuya Doug and I were introduced to one another in 2013. We were brought together by a project that—fortunate for both of us—never came to fruition. First we spent time getting to know one another’s style as martial art practitioners. Then, we discussed what we liked and disliked in knives.

Doug Marcaida is a master practitioner, and I am an edge-and-impact weapons visionary, of sorts. A new vision of knives formed between us.

When not thinking outside the box, I enjoy developing within an envelope that seems to have exacerbated all the possible solutions.

I enjoy challenging questions. Anything from “wouldn’t it be cool if” to “can a Karambit share some to the advantages of a straight blade and still be a Karambit?” These are the conversations that knife-guys have.. Not exactly an episode of Forged in Fire, but many such conversations bear the most delightful fruit.

– C. Despins

Introducing The DMaX

DMaX stands for Doug Marcaida and Max Venom. Thats DM, and MaX.

The DMaX is the byproduct of two practitioners, one vision, and one outcome. All the benefits of the Karambit and of the straight blade, combined into ONE.

Will it kill? You bet it will!

In order better facilitate your martial abilities the DMaX comes to you as a fighter/trainer combo. Look for upcoming seminars at DougMarcaida.com

Super happy with this combo. The handle fits so well in my hand and the knife/sheath sits well around my neck, it doesn’t get in the way at all. I really dig the trainer; my wife and I aim to start practicing soon. It’ll be great to never have to use it, but I’m more than happy to have it on me if I need it.

Kelly (store manager)–04/04/2019

Thank you for your review, Drew! We’re super happy to hear you’ll be using the trainer to help you and your wife build your skills. Don’t forget to work on your situational awareness–best way to stay safe is avoidance! Keep practicing! – Kelly M.

First off I purchased this knife over a year ago. I wasn’t too happy with it but only made a review after I received a reminder mail at the end of June 2019. So my initial review was as follows:

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Sadly I was not satisfied with this purchase.

Handle:
ergonomic and nicely rounded. Nothing to dislike here.

Blade:
Very cool and innovative design. The looks and profile of the knife was the actual reason for my purchase.
With the blade the problems start:
The blade was not sharp what so ever and the edge-grind was extremely uneven: halfway down the edge grind the angle changes, as if someone put on a 25 degree angle and after that went another pass in some areas with a 40 degree angle. I wish i could add a photo to show…
Also, The coating is also useless, it is uneven and seems glossy (as if spray painted) in some areas and porose in other areas (like very small bubbles you can see).

I bought this knife, decided that i didnt like it and threw it into a drawer. Every time i take it out im disapointed all over again. Even with this little use (no cutting, only putting in and out of the sheath 50-60 times) the coating is roughend up and looks damaged.

If you are interested in this design, go for the DMAX ll. You can resharpen the blade and because it is not coated, you can avoid some of the problems listed above. Sadly they do not send a Trainer with the DMAX ll Version.
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Within one day I received a response on the review (see their answer below).

At the same time I received an email: Because they believed it was a blade that sneaked past inspection they offered me to send me a replacement kit. The only thing I had to pay was shipping to Switzerland. I gladly accepted.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I hold another DMAX Combo in my hand.

I am glad to say, most of my previously mentioned flaws were not present anymore

Handle:
Nothing changed, still perfect.

Blade:
Still not razor sharp but much better than on the previous one. There is a nice even grind and a needle like point. As Tali mentioned: They aren’t designed to shave hair. They are meant to be no nonsense fighting knives and I believe they achieved that.

The coating:
The knife is evenly coated this time around and does not have the bubbles I mentioned previously. It is still a little glossy but I can live with that. I haven’t had the time to really test the toughness of the coating but I would assume that it holds up well enough for its purpose.

All in all I am now convinced that my first DMAX was a lemon. The outstanding customer service and no questions asked replacement was more than I could have asked for. I was done with this blade but because Tali reached out to me, I was ready to give it another chance.
I am very happy that I did give them one more chance because the second blade was totally different from the first.

Tali D (store manager)–06/26/2019

Dear Yaro,

Thank you for taking the time to elaborate upon the reasons for your rating of the DMaX Combo, we really appreciate that.

It sounds like you received a blade that sneaked past our quality-control inspection. This is unfortunate. Had you contacted us last year when you made the purchase, I would have issued a replacement knife for you right away! But I’m glad you can indeed enjoy the design with our DMaX II.

Occasionally we encounter customers who feel that a knife isn’t sharp enough. But many of our designs are simply not made to shave the hair off your arms – instead, they are purpose built fighting knives (our motto) that are as sharp as they are intended to be and they serve their purpose well.

If you want to razor-it-up, I always recommend Spyderco’s ceramic stones. They can literally turn an edge super sharp–fast!!

(also, FYI we offer the trainer as a separate purchase!)

Thank you again so much for taking the time to explain your rating in depth. Your feedback helps us improve and grow to ensure all of our customers are satisfied.